The Immune Landscape of the Human Optic Nerve Head

This project aims to study the properties of resident myeloid cells in the human optic nerve head and optic nerve, assess how they change in glaucoma and define the responses of other immune cell populations to better understand mechanisms of vision loss and identify new therapeutic targets.

We will study the properties of resident myeloid cells in the human optic nerve head and optic nerve, will assess how they change in glaucoma and define the responses of other immune cell populations. By mapping these cells and defining their molecular signatures, we aim to uncover how neuroimmune responses may have protective or detrimental effects and identify new targets to protect vision.

This study will generate the first high-resolution immune atlas of the human ONH, will reveal previously uncharacterized specialized immune cell niches, and will define how these are remodeled in glaucoma. By integrating molecular identity of immune cell populations with anatomical localization, this study establishes a new framework for understanding neuroimmune interactions in human glaucoma and opens avenues for targeting local immune mechanisms to protect vision.

Successful completion of this project will provide the first spatially resolved map of immune cell diversity in the human optic nerve head and reveal how these populations are altered in glaucoma. This will provide an important resource for the research community that will directly inform translational studies aimed at targeting local immune mechanisms to protect retinal ganglion cells. This could lead to new ways to detect, prevent, or treat glaucoma by improving our understanding of how immune cells contribute to optic nerve damage and vision loss.